Hezbollah Leader Says Saudi Arabia Wants to Impose New PM on Lebanese People

10.11.2017 14:45

Hezbollah Leader Says Saudi Arabia Wants to Impose New PM on Lebanese People Hezbollah Leader Says Saudi Arabia Wants to Impose New PM on Lebanese People

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has commented on ex-Lebanon prime minister's Saad Hariri's resignation.

Saudi Arabia has "blatantly interfered" in Lebanon's local issues by detaining Hariri and putting him "under house arrest," Nasrallah said, according to the Al Manar broadcaster. Nasrallah added that the Lebanese government was still legitimate as it had resigned yet.

Earlier this day, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that Saad al-Hariri was free in his movements and was not being held in Saudi Arabia.

The statement by the French minister came after French President Emmanuel Macron has stated that had an "informal contact" with Hariri, during his visit to Dubai, adding that France did not receive any request from Lebanese ex-prime minister to come to the country.

Hariri, who was the prime minister from 2009 to 2011 and took office again in November 2016, resigned on November 4 while visiting Saudi Arabia, citing concerns he could be assassinated like his father and criticized the Lebanon-based Shiite Hezbollah paramilitary and political movement and accused Iran of alleged attempts to bring destruction to the region.

Media reports citing a Lebanese official have suggested that Hariri's freedom was "restricted" in Riyadh, however, later his office stated that the former prime minister had met a number of European and US diplomats.